Member of Technical Staff, Special Programs -… at SpaceX · Washington

Summary: SpaceX is a pioneering aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, dedicated to enabling human life on Mars. The Member of Technical Staff in Special Programs will design and optimize AI integrations for government systems, ensuring compliance and enhancing performance for mission-critical applications. Responsibilities: - Design, build, and optimize integrations between AI frontier models (e.g., Grok family) and government systems, platforms, and data environments - Identify pain points, scoping product specifications, and designing and building AI-powered software for government or enterprise use cases - Benchmark models and develop evaluation frameworks to assess performance and address weaknesses, ensuring compliance with customer standards - Enhancing model performance through system prompt tuning or fine-tuning, with an eye toward secure and scalable deployment - Analyze request logs, prompt data, or system outputs to ensure reliability and audibility - Build internal tooling to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks in secure environments - Partner with agency stakeholders to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate rapidly based on real-world feedback - Ship production-grade code and features with a bias toward speed, simplicity, and measurable impact Required Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, physics, or data science - 1+ years of hands-on software engineering experience building scalable systems, APIs, or AI/ML applications - Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI - Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed - 20% travel may be required to government sites Preferred Qualifications: - Demonstrated success working with government agencies, DoW, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data projects - 6+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in environments requiring high reliability or security - Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure AI-driven solutions that meet stringent compliance and operational standards - Proven experience implementing AI or machine learning products with APIs, back-end systems, and front-end interfaces - Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript - Strong understanding of the HTTP protocol and secure API design - Robust engineering background, preferably in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science - Experience building evaluation frameworks for AI systems and assessing capabilities in regulated or high-stakes contexts - Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals—model evaluation, training, and fine-tuning—with a focus on production-ready deployments - History of deploying machine learning models to production, ideally in secure or cloud-based government environments - Expertise in writing developer documentation or maintaining SDKs for technical audiences, including government developers - Ability to work with massive datasets, optimize system performance, and scale solutions for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads - Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, particularly in secure or government-aligned deployments - Adaptability to shifting priorities and requirements in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup setting - Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with experience documenting technical solutions for diverse stakeholders - Active Top-Secret or Top-Secret SCI with a full scope polygraph Required Skills: Software Engineering, AI/ML Applications, AI-driven Solutions, API Design, Python, TypeScript, HTTP Protocol, Machine Learning Fundamentals, Model Evaluation, Model Fine-tuning, Production Deployment of ML Models, Developer Documentation, SDK Maintenance, Data Handling, System Performance Optimization, Infrastructure-as-Code, Pulumi, Terraform Benefits: Long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, Potential discretionary bonuses, Ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, Short and long-term disability insurance, Life insurance, Paid parental leave, Various other discounts and perks, 3 weeks of paid vacation, 10 or more paid holidays per year, Paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law